Last week I got many phone calls and some written comments on my last post I am your competitor, where I shared some of my experiences trying to define a competitor. The same week a General Manager of a resort in South Male’ Atoll apparently graced a full introduction to my blog during a lunch with some key journalists from the UK. Well, I am not that proud but happy because people are reading my blog and spending time to think about it. Thanks to that General Manager who appreciated my work and try so hard to promote my website.

Moving on, I got some opinions and comments from readers and two of them actually agreed to make them public. One of the comments came from a Sales & Marketing Executive of a top international brand operating a resort in the Maldives.

His explanation was interesting and thought of sharing with you all. He wrote and I quote below;
“We can decide our competitors purely based on mathematical numbers. Mathematics is the only way to determine competitors. It is a very common misconception people have when they talk about (or) even give mathematical explanations to describe competitors stating it is generally price-centric method that determines competitors… I think that by using mathematical values we can get a far better picture of how to determine competitors rather than adhering to numbers drawn only from price-centric methods… I also think that ego-centric method cannot lead a business enterprise to anywhere better since that can only have a very narrow path of information.”

Another interesting comment came from a landscaping expert in one of the top resorts. She wrote and I quote below;
“I can say one a competitor if our talented employees move to that resort, our repeater guest move to that resort, and that resort keep follow us on the hot list hotel or other world hotel rewards achievement as well.”

There is something catchy in her definition and I think she made it very simple to us. The most important question when defining our competition is…. Where would your regular customer stay if he/she could not get a room in your hotel?

In your customer satisfaction surveys how many of you ask your customers the following questions…

1. If you did not stay here, where would you have stayed?
2. What reasons were important to you in the decision to choose this hotel over another hotel?

Sometimes we are too afraid to ask specific questions from customers because we feel they will get too much information and find out the secrets of our business. But why not give them necessary information and ask relevant questions.

In hospitality we all say.., end of the day it is about customer satisfaction we care most in our business. So why not involve your customer to understand your business better. Because.., end of the day it is the customer who pays and uses your product or services – and not You!